Axayacatl (; ; ; meaning "face of water"; –1481) was the sixth of the of

Tenochtitlan , also known as Mexico-Tenochtitlan, was a large Mexican in what is now the historic center of Mexico City. The exact date of the founding of the city is unclear, but the date 13 March 1325 was chosen in 1925 to celebrate the 600th annivers ...

and

Emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

of the

Aztec Triple Alliance The Aztec Empire, also known as the Triple Alliance (, �jéːʃkaːn̥ t͡ɬaʔtoːˈlóːjaːn̥ or the Tenochca Empire, was an alliance of three Nahua city-states: , , and . These three city-states ruled that area in and around the Vall ...

Biography

Early life and background

Axayacatl was a son of the princess Atotoztli II and her cousin, prince Tezozomoc. He was a grandson of the Emperors

Moctezuma I Moctezuma I (–1469), also known as Montezuma I, Moteuczomatzin Ilhuicamina ( ) or Huehuemoteuczoma ( ), was the second Tlatoani, Aztec emperor and fifth king of Tenochtitlan. During his reign, the Aztec Empire was consolidated, major expansion ...

and

Itzcoatl Itzcoatl ( , "Obsidian Serpent", ) (c. 1380–1440) was the fourth king of Tenochtitlan, and the founder of the Aztec Empire, ruling from 1427 to 1440. Under Itzcoatl the Mexica of Tenochtitlan threw off the domination of the Tepanecs and esta ...

. He was a descendant of the king

Cuauhtototzin Cuauhtototzin () was a king of Cuauhnahuac. Family Cuauhtototzin was a son and successor of King Tezcacohuatzin. His sister was Empress Miahuaxihuitl. He was a father of Empress Chichimecacihuatzin I and uncle of her husband Moctezuma I. Cuauh ...

. He was a successor of Moctezuma and his brothers were Emperors

Tizoc Tizocic (), or Tizocicatzin (), usually known in English as Tizoc, was the seventh tlatoani of Tenochtitlan, ''tlatoani'' of Tenochtitlan. His name means, "He who makes sacrifices" or "He who does penance." Either Tizoc or his successor Ahuitzot ...

and

Ahuitzotl Ahuitzotl (, ) was the eighth Aztec ruler, the '' Huey Tlatoani'' of the city of Tenochtitlan, son of princess Atotoztli II. His name literally means "Water Thorny" and was also applied to the otter. It is also theorized that more likely, the ...

and his sister was the Queen Chalchiuhnenetzin. He was an uncle of the Emperor

Cuauhtémoc Cuauhtémoc (, ), also known as Cuauhtemotzín, Guatimozín, or Guatémoc, was the Aztec ruler ('' tlatoani'') of Tenochtitlan from 1520 to 1521, and the last Aztec Emperor. The name Cuauhtemōc means "one who has descended like an eagle", an ...

and father of Emperors

Moctezuma II Moctezuma Xocoyotzin . ( – 29 June 1520), retroactively referred to in European sources as Moctezuma II, and often simply called Montezuma,Other variant spellings include Moctezuma, Motewksomah, Motecuhzomatzin, Moteuczoma, Motecuhzoma, Motē ...

and

Cuitláhuac Cuitláhuac (, ) (c. 1476 – 1520) or Cuitláhuac (in Spanish orthography; , , honorific form: Cuitlahuatzin) was the 10th '' Huey Tlatoani'' (emperor) of the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan for 80 days during the year Two Flint (1520).Chimalpahin ...

Rise to power

During his youth, his military prowess gained him the favor influential figures such as Nezahualcoyotl and

Tlacaelel I Tlacaelel I (1397 – 1487) ( , "Man of Strong Emotions," from "tlācatl," person and "ēllelli," strong emotion) was the principal architect of the Aztec Triple Alliance and hence the Mexica (Aztec) empire. He was the son of Emperor Huitzil ...

, and thus, upon the death of

in 1469, he was chosen to ascend to the throne, much to the displeasure of his two older brothers,

and

. It is also important that the Great Sun Stone, also known as the Aztec Calendar, was carved under his leadership. An earthquake in Tenochtitlán occurred and destroyed many homes.

Military actions and death

Using as a pretext the insulting behavior of a few Tlatelolcan citizens, Axayacatl invaded his neighbor, killed its ruler,

Moquihuix Moquihuix (or Moquihuixtli) (died 1473) was the fourth ''tlatoani'' (ruler) of Tlatelolco. He died in 1473 in the Battle of Tlatelolco, a military conflict fought between Tlatelolco and Tenochtitlan. Moquihuix was married to Chalchiuhnenetzin ...

, and replaced him with a military governor. The Tlatelolcans lost any voice they had in forming Aztec policy. Moquihuix_mendoza

Axayacatl largely dedicated his twelve-year reign to consolidating his militaristic repute: he led successful campaigns against the neighboring of Tlatelolco in 1473 (see

Battle of Tlatelolco The Battle of Tlatelolco was fought between the two Pre-Columbian era, pre-Hispanic Altepetl, altepetls (or City-state, city-states) Tenochtitlan and Tlatelolco (altepetl), Tlatelolco, two independent polities which inhabited the island of Lake Te ...

) and the

Matlatzinca Matlatzinca or Ocuiltec may refer to: * Matlatzinca people Matlatzinca is a name used to refer to different Indigenous ethnic groups in the Toluca Valley in the state of México, located in the central highlands of Mexico. The term is applied to t ...

of the

Toluca Valley The Toluca Valley is a valley in central Mexico, just west of the Valley of Mexico (Mexico City), the old name was Matlatzinco. The valley runs north–south for about , surrounded by mountains, the most imposing of which is the Nevado de Toluca V ...

in 1474, but was finally defeated by the Tarascans of

Michoacán Michoacán, formally Michoacán de Ocampo, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Michoacán de Ocampo, is one of the 31 states which, together with Mexico City, compose the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The stat ...

in 1476. Despite some subsequent minor triumphs, Axayacatl's defeat at the hands of the Tarascans irreversibly marred his image, as it constituted the only major defeat suffered by the Aztecs up to that moment. In spite of his young age, he fell gravely ill in 1480, passing away a mere year later, in 1481, whereupon he was succeeded by his brother Tizoc.

Axayacatl the poet

Axayacatl wrote two poems. The first, ''Ycuic Axayayatzin'' (English: "Song of Axayacatl") is a defense against his brothers and critics; the second, ''Huehue cuicatl'' (English: "Song of the Ancients") is a lament written after his defeat in Michoacan.

In popular culture

* The ''Obsidian and Blood'' series by

Aliette de Bodard Aliette de Bodard (born November 10, 1982) is a French-American speculative fiction writer. She has received accolades including the British Fantasy Award, BSFA Award, Ignyte Award, Locus Award, and Nebula Award. Writing De Bodard published he ...

are set in the last year of the reign of Axayacatl and the first years of the reign of

, with their youngest brother

appearing as a primary character.

Notes

References

* * * * *

External links

* {{Authority control Tenochca tlatoque Nahuatl-language poets 15th-century monarchs in North America 15th-century Aztec nobility Year of birth uncertain 1440s births 1481 deaths Moctezuma family